Does the Food We Eat Affect Our Dreams?

FirstWeFeast is on a mission to uncover the truth about your diet and your dreams, and they've enlisted some help from a pro. Dr. Gary Wenk of the Ohio State University and Medical Center's Psychology and Neuroscience department, and author of the book Your Brain on Food, has finally answered the age-old question that is plagued with whispers of rumors and misinformation: Does what we eat, in fact, affect what we dream?

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The short answer, he explains, is no, but it's far more complicated than that. On the most basic level, our bodies use energy while we dream (more than you may think, in fact, which makes us question, is going to the gym really necessary?). The calories and other nutrients we ingest during our evening meal are what power up those pretty, happy (or scary, or just downright bizarre) sleeping thoughts. Check out Dr. Wenk's three tips below on foods to eat and avoid to get your very best sleep.

1. Indulge in the sweet stuff.

According to Dr. Wenk, sugar is most valuable to the body — and the brain — during these active, non-waking hours, making the classic peanut butter and jelly combo — also known as the simple-carbohydrate-and-seratonin-combination — one of the most ideal pre-bed snacks.

This theory also supports the idea that going to bed hungry could disrupt a "normal" sleep cycle, leading to possible bad dreams (guys, this is your free ticket to indulging in a midnight snack — monsters, be banished!)

3. Don't stuff yourself right before you hit the sack.

Dr. Wenk encourages avoiding heavy, overly-filling meals right before bed. Why, exactly? Apparently, when we digest as we sleep, our body temperature heats up (rather than cooling down, as is best for a restful night's sleep) and gets our thoughts all riled up, too. Lastly, try to stay away from chocolate and/or spicy foods in the wee hours of the evening — their chemical makeup could produce less than comfortable affects on the old sleep patterns; in simple terms,they may cause odd dreams that stress you out.

The takeaway: All in all, there's no magic rule of thumb on what to consume and when, Dr. Wenk states. There are certain guidelines we can follow, like the tips and tricks above, but much of how we process food is coded into our DNA, making hard and fast rules nearly impossible to pin down. Just try to keep it light, keep it sugary, and avoid nasty chemicals, and you should be snoozin' happily in no time.